Update: Crash, Chemical Spill On Route 8 Paralyzes Traffic

ETHAN FRY PHOTOState environmental officials announced late Thursday that a portion of Route 8 north near exit 19 in Ansonia would be stripped and repaved because of a chemical spill after a truck crash.

Route 8 north was closed until about 4:30 a.m. Friday, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Residents in nearby houses were not in danger from the chemical spill.

This is very isolated. The hazards are localized to the immediate vicinity of the truck. There is no airborne risk, and what has spilled is just on the highway,” Dwayne Gardner, a spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said in an e‑mail late Thursday.

We are erring on the extreme side of caution by milling the highway. The only concern to nearby residents should just be the traffic headaches this is causing.”

The Wrecks

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOA heavy duty pick-up truck with a box trailer attached was carrying chemicals used in spray foam insulation when it crashed at about 2 p.m. Thursday.

An unknown amount of the chemical, described as isocyanate derivatives, spilled onto the road.

The chemicals can pose significant health issues, both by inhalation and skin contact, according to a prepared statement from state environmental officials.

At roughly the same time or immediately after the pick-up truck crash, a tractor-trailer heading toward the pick-up jack-knifed on the highway. That resulted in a diesel spill.

The cause of the crashes were not known Thursday night. Police are investigating, as is the Department of Transportation.

No injuries were reported.

The two wrecks were on Route 8 just north of the Emmett Avenue/Division Street ramp in Derby.

The Response

Ansonia Fire Department Assistant Chief Michael Eheman said there were eight 55-gallon drums in the box trailer, and at least two had been breached.

He said emergency responders were lucky Thursday was precipitation-free due to the chemical involved.

It reacts with water so we were fortunate there was no snow on the ground or anything like that,” Eheman said.

Click the play button below to listen to Eheman talk about the cleanup. It was recorded at about 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

Fifteen hazmat technicians from Connecticut Tank Removal Inc. of Bridgeport responded to clean the spill.

At about 10 p.m. Thursday, state environmental officials announced a portion of Route 8 at the crash would have to be torn up because of a public safety concern.

The material that was spilled during today’s accident has hardened to the roadway as the temperature has dropped,” Gardner, the spokesman, said in an e‑mail.

Due to its melting temperature, with the warm weather approaching, there could be an exposure to people if sanded and allowed to remain.”

Traffic

CT DEEPThe crashes paralyzed roadways in Ansonia, Derby and Shelton Thursday afternoon, as vehicles fled the closed highway and took to local streets.

Kids were late getting home from school, as just about every major road heading north in Ansonia and Derby was clogged, as was Route 110 in Shelton.

Even Main Street in Ansonia heading toward Seymour was a parking lot as of 4:30 p.m. as drivers tried to find a way through the congestion.

All the side roads are crazy,” said Sandy Berchem, one of dozens of residents who posted on the Valley Indy’s Facebook page.

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